Floppy disc drive units and other mass-storage drive units have traditionally been mounted in desktop computers using fixing screws to secure the unit to a support structure. The fixing screws engage threaded apertures providing at standard positions in the sides of the drive unit. Such a mounting arrangement has a number of drawbacks particularly where a user is effecting installation of the drive unit; for example, the fixing screws are awkward to access and are easily dropped inside the computer housing.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a drive-unit mounting arrangement intended to overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional mounting method. More particularly, FIG. 1 shows a 5.25 inch floppy disc drive unit 10 to which two side members 12 are attached by means of screws 13 that engage in threaded apertures 11 formed at standard positions in the sides of the unit 10. In FIG. 1, one side member is shown up against the unit 10 whilst the other is shown spaced from the unit for clarity of illustration. The side members 12 serve to guide sliding insertion of the unit 10 into a support structure of a computer, the support structure being provided with guide rails for the purpose. The side members 12 which are typically formed of plastics material, are each provided with a resilient snap-engagement member 15. The members 15 snap engage into a locking position against the support structure when the drive unit 10 is a fully inserted into the computer support structure. In addition, resilient metal contacts 14 are secured on the side members by means of the fixing screws 13 and provide grounding of the drive unit 10 to the support structure (the fixing screws 13 being of metal and providing an electrical connection between the contacts 14 and the casing of the disc drive 10).
In using the FIG. 1 arrangement, a user can secure the side members 12 to the drive unit 10 away from the computer itself, the resultant assembly then being slid into the support structure of the computer. The arrangement is clearly preferable to the traditional one where the screw fixing of the drive unit must be done in situ. Nevertheless, the FIG. 1 arrangement still suffers from the drawback that a user has to employ a screw driver to mount the drive unit.
Another example of a drive mounting arrangement using side mounting members screwed to the sides of a drive unit can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,088.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simpler mounting arrangement for mass-storage drive units and similar subsystems.